Friday, May 25, 2007

I and my, then, 3 1/2-year old daughter did a quick trip to the grocery for some of her milk.

It wasn't quick enough, it was raining when we got to the door. It was somewhere in the heavy drizzle to light shower...

Anyway, there we were trapped in a mall with no umbrella or jacket. I asked the guard where the guy with the umbrella that's there to escort customers to their car with an umbrella. The guard said the umbrella chaperon was probably out in the parking lot with a customer. So I decided to wait it out for the umbrella chaperon. After a few minutes, no umbrella chaperon and I asked the guard who gave the same reply. So I decided to wait out the rain for a few minutes.

A few minutes later, it rained just a little harder.

Then I spied 6 umbrellas hanging by the guard station by the entrance. I asked the guard if I could borrow it and swing by to return it. He was unsure, he asked another guard. Whatever the discussion was I got 'no' for an answer.

He can see the rain, he can see my daughter without a jacket and he can most certainly see a 100-kg, 5' 6" human (me) without a jacket.

"No", he repeated when I pleaded.

Not wanting to risk rain falling harder I draped a towel over my daughters head and made a dash for the car. Good thing too, it rained harder when we got home.

Now, some may ask, why I did not purchase an umbrella? never crossed my penny -pinching mind. Maybe because I was seething with rage.

I do resent being treated like a potential thief by representative of SM Davao. Tell me SM, is the price of an umbrella worth the goodwill lost that night?

Ladies and Gentlemen of the apathetic, naive and trusting public. So called 'security' personnel, uniformed or in civvies, DO NOT KNOW: A) How to spot a bomb, B) How to spot a crook, C) How to spot a customer.